The Golden WEAPON
by EnbyPeep
Summary: Cloud looked into her eyes, the intensity in the green hues startling him. Aerith stared back at him, as if searching for something. Then, seemingly content, she smiled. She grabbed his hand, never breaking eye contact, and covered it with her own. "The Planet is very fond of you, Cloud." He gulped. What does that mean?
1. Prologue - Rebirth

Wind kicked up dust as it blew across the sandy horizon. What little air was left in the atmosphere of the area was quickly stifled by the dust and sand that was blown up. A too-bright sun slowly began its descent, hopefully for the last time. What little heat was present began to leave as more and more stars spread across the already dark sky. Each night more and more vividly be-speckled with lights than the last, as Gaia's atmosphere dissipated more and more every day. A sharp chill spread across the already freezing lands, bringing a small sigh from the last living creature on Gaia.

Leaning back on his hands from where he sat on the frozen ground, the man looked up at the sky. It no longer rang blue during the day; the only difference between the two were the bright sun that bore down when it was daytime. He closed his eyes and tried to remember. Remember the vivid hue of the old sky, of the glorious colors of sunrise and sunset. They were no such thing in this day and age. It had been so long since they were, and the man would be lying if he claims to have a good enough memory to truly recall such times.

A shame, really. That the last person to know of such things existing couldn't even remember them.

Ah, well. Not that it really matters. The man was long since past the point of caring. Ever since Chaos struck the last of the humans down, he learned to let go of things no longer meant to be. He would've gone crazy living otherwise. Or maybe he's already crazy, to convince himself he's fine watching the world end like this, living past the rest of life. Living at all, really.

Well, it still doesn't matter, he smiled. It'll all be over soon enough.

And as if that thought brought it about, there was a thunderous quake. The ground rumbled and split apart, spilling bits of lifestream out onto the dusty ground. Mako leaked out of the splits like an open wound, green and bright and bubbling. The man sighed. Seems like it's time.

The man got up from his perch overlooking what he vaguely remembered to be the Northern Crater back in the before. He couldn't exactly remember what it looked like, or what humans had used it for. All he knew was that there used to be snow there before the oceans and seas dried up. He shook his head. There was no use in reminiscing right now, he had a single destination in mind. The man absently lifted his hand up at brushed at the hilt of the sword on his back, and set off.

But no, he couldn't really remember the significance of the Northern Crater to the humans. It was far too cold for them to permanently live there, he thought. And he really didn't think it was that interesting to begin with. But, maybe that was just his nihilism creeping in. If he was honest with himself, he lost the ability to find interest in things long, long ago.

So, no, he doesn't exactly remember why the Northern Crater was such a big deal. What he did remember was that The Calamity was here at some point. And no matter how hard he tried, the man didn't think he'd ever be able to forget The Calamity. Details, maybe. But the events surrounding it as a whole? Unforgettable.

And so, he chose this spot in the Used-To-Be-Northern-Crater to 'die' in. He wasn't really sure on all of the details surrounding Planetary Rebirth or his existence as both a WEAPON and not, but he did know one thing: he needed a good, secretive place to 'die'. He wasn't even really sure if he was dying-dying, or what, but at this point he didn't care. The Planet was going to begin anew any minute now, and the man didn't really want to be awake for whatever that entails.

He finally came to the end of the cave system he had found a good century or so ago. Already, the earlier tremor had the place half filled with pure mako. He trudged on through it. Centuries ago, he may have found the idea of willfully setting foot anywhere near the green to be repulsive. Now, though, he hardly felt the burn. It was hardly a comfort though, but, then again, he didn't really need any. He hadn't felt comfort in what felt like an eternity.

Slowly, the man drew the sword on his back. He held it in front of him for a moment, resting his head against the base. Deep breaths. Then, he flipped it around, and stabbed it into the ground, effectively wedging it into the rock of the cave. Mako splashed every which way, but he didn't particularly care for it. Instead he lowered himself down, submerging himself about up to his shoulders in the green lifeblood of the Planet. The man leaned his back against his sword, and closed his eyes. Deep breaths.

And just as another tremor broke out across Gaia, rock splitting and lifestream spilling, the man fell asleep.

The quakes stopped just in time for his last breath.


	2. Chapter 1 - Clouds No Good, Very Bad Day

Cloud was done.

He was tired, no, exhausted.

This whole mission was grating on his nerves. No, wait, that isn't quite right. The entirety of this DAY was grating on him. It's almost like the universe suddenly decided that it hates him!

What had started off as a relatively innocuous day had quickly taken a turn for the worse in the mid-morning. Two cadets as gotten into a fight over who knows what and Cloud had the misfortune of being not liked very much by them and in the same room. Long story short, he had managed to land punishment while the others got off scot-free. They weren't even in the same bunker as him! Why the hell should he get latrine duty just for being in the vicinity of a couple of idiots!?

That's not even the end of it, if you can believe.

No, in fact, next was the load of crap during the post-lunch weapons training. Apparently, he had 'acted out' (he coughed, thank you.) enough to warrant being taken down a peg or two by his supposed peers. And by being taken down a peg or two, he of course means getting his ass beaten under the guise of training. The walks to-and-from the infirmary involved a lot of grumbling under his breath.

Especially when his best friend Zack, bless his heart, found him on the way back. If there was one thing to be grateful for on this godforsaken day, Cloud mused, it's that Zack hadn't found him before he got healed up. His friend could be such a mother hen sometimes, and it'd be forever before he left him alone. At any rate, after listening to Cloud recount the day and complain about the unfairness of the universe, Zack had offered to take him along on a mission to give him some time away from all the others.

Cloud could at least appreciate the thought behind it. However, what had seemed like a pleasant enough suggestion at first, - after all, it was just a monster hunt through the slums, and as a cadet Cloud could really use the experience, - had soon enough turned into yet another nuisance.

Case and point, their current conversation.

"-So, I looked through the Silver Elite pages, and I actually managed to find what shampoo Seph uses!" Zack rambled on, not even looking back to make sure Cloud was paying attention. He was trying not to. "Anyway, I kinda wanna try to see if I can find where they sell it, and see if anyone notices if I start using it. Whaddya think, Spikey?"

"Do whatever, Zack. I don't really think anyone would, and even if they did, I don't think they'd care." Cloud replied half-heartedly. He didn't really think we was supposed to egg Zack on with any of his so-called pranks, even if they seemed rather pointless. Especially if they have anything to do with Sephiroth. Masamune wasn't so pointless.

"Hey, you are seriously underestimating a SOLDIER's nose, okay? Enhanced senses mean all senses." Zack said, and gestured with his hands for emphasis. "And, okay, most probably wouldn't care. I'll give you that. But! You know who would possibly maybe care?" He turned back to Cloud expectantly.

"Commander Rhapsodos?"

"Yup!" Zack nodded and turned back forward, not noticing Cloud's sigh. "If anyone would notice and make a fuss about it, it would have to be Gen. And his reactions to everything are priceless!"

Cloud shook his head as his friend continued talking, and tuned out of the conversation as soon as he started trying to do impressions of the Commander in question. Cloud loved his friend - really, he did! Zack was the first, and so far only, person to bother to talk to him outside of the degrading comments and insults the other cadets sometimes threw his way. Zack was the one who took the time to get to know him, and even offered to train him some when they had the free time. Cloud couldn't possibly ask for a better friend. That said, however, his friend did require a certain amount of patience in order to be around.

Patience that had already been worn rather thin earlier that day.

"Zack, aren't we supposed to be looking for something?" Cloud cut his friend off in the middle of a sentence that had long since been classified as senseless chatter at that point. Zack looked back at him and rubbed his neck.

"Heh, day still rubbing ya wrong, buddy? Sorry." He grinned sheepishly and Cloud tried not to feel guilty that he'd snapped at him. It didn't work.

"It's fine, just. . . Can we get this mission done with? I'm pretty tired." Cloud rubbed the side of his face. Zack looked at him oddly for a moment, thinking. Then he nodded as if coming to a decision.

"Right! Let's get this done quick. And then," He drew the word out, "I want to take you to meet someone. I think you might need it. That okay with you?" He tilted his head to the side, waiting for Cloud's input.

Cloud blinked and looked at his friend's expectant face. He had originally planned to grab a quick dinner in the mess and immediately sleep the world away in his bunk, ready to get this day over and done with. However, Zack was really pulling out the puppy dog eyes on him. Whoever this person was, Zack really, really wanted them to meet. And, hey, Cloud thought, if it encouraged Zack to get this done quicker. . .

Cloud sighed, resigned. "Alright. As long as we're done in time for dinner." Zack pumped his fist in the air, then turned back and shot him a huge grin.

"Trust me Spikey, you won't regret it! Alright, c'mon! Our targets should be around Sector 6." With that, Zack walked off and waved a hand for Cloud to follow.

Cloud laughed quietly to himself. If letting Zack introduce him to all his other friends encouraged him to be more efficient, then Cloud would've let him done so a lot sooner. Well, maybe not. Zack had some weird friends.

Which only led Cloud to wonder who Zack wanted to show him. He seemed to really want them and Cloud to meet, almost desperately. And Zack tended to make friends rather easily, to Cloud could only guess what this one must be like. He hoped they were at least a little bit normal. Hopefully not like that Reno guy. Ignoring the fact that the guy's a Turk, Reno's pretty. . . eccentric, for lack of a better term. Cloud had only met him a handful of times, and for all his slouching, he had a pretty dangerous vibe around him. Cloud hoped this other person wasn't anything like him. Then again, Zack's personality seemed to get along eerily well with one like Reno's.

Cloud gulped. Was it too late to back out?

He shook his head. He was being stupid, he decided, and needlessly paranoid. Zack knew that Reno made him kind of uncomfortable, so surely he wouldn't take Cloud to meet a guy like that. Especially when he'd already been having such a crummy day. For as clueless as Zack seemed, he wasn't a Second Class SOLDIER for nothing, and he tended to have an excellent judge of character. So, really, Cloud had nothing to worry about. He had no reason to distrust Zack, if anything, it was a bit of an insult to his friend to worry like he did. This person would be pretty nice, and the meeting would go fine.

And even if it didn't, at least the mission would be done early.

That in mind, Cloud set off to catch up to his friend where he'd fallen behind.


	3. Chapter 2 - Introductions

As it turns out, Zack was being serious about wanting Cloud to meet his friend, if the speed at which they completed their mission meant anything. Razorweeds were normally pretty damn annoying, in Zack's own words, so that could've also meant something. Either way, they finished the mission pretty quickly, with about an hour to spare before dinner. Which was pretty nice, in Cloud's opinion.

After they were done clearing away the last of the monsters, Zack turned to him with a questioning expression. "You ready to go?"

Cloud hesitated for only a moment before nodding and falling into step beside his friend as they left. He fought the urge to fidget. He might be a little apprehensive about who exactly Zack was going to introduce him to, sure, but there was no going back now. He had already given his word that he'd come, and with a day as bad as it's already been, Cloud didn't want to end it by upsetting Zack.

Cloud glanced at Zack from the corner of his eye. His friend seemed so excited at the prospect of introducing him to this other person when the idea was brought up, but now. . . Well, the excitement was clearly still there, but there was something else, too. Was Zack nervous? What would Zack be nervous about? Cloud bit his lip and looked ahead as they came upon the Sector 5 slums. This was starting to feel like a bad idea. If Zack was nervous, then this was either going to go very good, or very, very bad.

No matter. Cloud took a deep breath, and turned to face his friend. "Hey, Zack?"

"Yeah, Spike?"

"It's going to be okay. Alright?" Cloud told him, and gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile. It felt odd to be the one telling Zack it was okay, but he really didn't like Zack being nervous. It just wasn't right.

Zack blinked, caught off guard. He then chuckled and shook his head. "I know, it's just. . ." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked back at him. "I don't think anything's gonna happen, it's just, y'know, important to me, is all. Don't worry, 'kay?"

"I could say the same to you, you know." Cloud shot back, and raised an eyebrow. Zack laughed nervously, and Cloud couldn't help but join in. Soon, it died down a bit, and they fell back into a comfortable silence. Zack looked notably less tense than before, and Cloud smiled. Better.

They walked on for a few minutes more before Zack led him to what looked like a church. It was old, run-down, with rotting wood and vines covering the walls. Still, Cloud couldn't help but stop and stare at it for a moment. Something about this place gave him a sense of peace, like a soothing wave washing over him, his previous doubts and second thoughts forgotten in the face of a calming sort of familiarity. He didn't precisely know what was familiar, be it the design or what, but the feeling was there, and he didn't find himself uncomfortable with it. It was then that he noticed Zack waiting for him in front of the giant double doors marking the church's entrance. Cloud sped up a bit to catch up, and walked inside alongside Zack. Cloud gasped.

If the outside of the church was a soothing wave, then the inside was an ocean. It was a bit more torn-up looking than the outside, yes, but somehow that just added to the atmosphere. Broken pews and debris lined the walls, accentuated by pillars and shuttered up windows. What little light was present in the slums shined through slits in the shutters, giving the whole interior an almost ethereal vibe. But that was nothing compared to what was at the end of the walkway. A bed of flowers, golden and white ones, lay growing amidst upturned boards, casted in light from a whole present in the ceiling. The flowers were everywhere, somehow, and full of life one wouldn't expect from such a place. And, in front of the garden, was a girl.

Upon hearing the doors opening, the girl got up from her position crouching over the flowers, and wiped her hands on a light blue sundress. She turned around towards them, and even from his position at the other end of the church, Cloud could see her expression light up once she caught sight of Zack.

Zack, as well, seemed to brighten as he sped up down the alley to meet her. There was laughter from both of them as they met in the middle, and Zack picked up the girl and twirled her around before setting her down with a kiss on her cheek.

The girl giggled. " And hello to you too, Zack. What brings you here?" She tilted her head as she asked. Her voice was soft, and joy apparent.

"Aw, aren't I just allowed to see my beautiful girlfriend every once in a while?" He smirked and gave her another kiss on the cheek. Cloud shifted where he stood, trying not to feel like a third wheel.

The girl seemed to notice, because the moved out of Zack's hold and turned towards him. "Who's your friend, Zack?"

Zack smiled while he walked over and slung an arm around Cloud's shoulder. "Aerith, this is Cloud. Cloud, this is Aerith. She's the gal I wanted to introduce you to." He gave a pat on the shoulder to each of them, respectively, as he introduced them. He then stood back, and on his hips, and looked at them both expectantly.

She walked forward to meet him, a curious look on her face. Cloud looked into her eyes, the intensity in the green hues startling him.

Aerith stared back into him, as if searching for , seemingly content, she smiled. She grabbed his hand, never breaking eye contact, and covered it with her own. "The Planet is very fond of you, Cloud."

He gulped. What does that mean?

Cloud opened his mouth to say something, glancing at Zack for a split-second before going back to her. "Uh. . . Thank you?" He settled on, not entirely sure what he was thanking her for.

Aerith noticed his hesitation and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Even as she said this, she didn't let go of his hand. Cloud expected that to make him even more uncomfortable, but found it had the opposite effect.

"No, it's fine. Just. . . caught me off guard, I guess." He reassured, and smiled back at her. Something about her being upset just made him feel antsy, like it wasn't natural for a girl like her. So, he felt immensely better when relief showed on her face at being forgiven.

They were silent again, Aerith staring at him still with that odd curiosity, and Cloud desperately looking for something else to talk about. There was a reason he didn't have that many friends, and his atrocious social skills was it. Finally, he found something.

"Are those flowers yours?" He asked, and tilted his head at the growing blooms in question. Aerith blinked, and then smiled. She nodded and pulled on his hand to follow towards the garden. He came without protest, admitting to himself that he was interested in the small garden.

She sat down at the edge of the flowers, with Cloud following suit. She finally released his hand to tend to the plants in front. He carefully reached out a hand to caress a golden bloom, feeling the softness of the petals on his hand. He smiled, and whatever residual irritation and fatigue from earlier that day drained away in the peace and beauty of the flowerbed. After that, he found conversation with Aerith to be easy and comfortable.

Zack was right about him needing this, Cloud thought. There was just something about her, about Aerith, that was calming. She was special. Kind, and eccentric, but in a welcoming way. Aerith was the kind of person that just sets you at ease, which was exactly what was happening.

Meanwhile, still in the middle of the alley between the pews, Zack watched the two chatting in front of the flowers. He was a bit nervous when Aerith mentioned the planet the way that she did, but ultimately relaxed as she and Cloud seemed to be getting along well. He'd been wanting to introduce his best buddy and his girlfriend to each other for a while now, because, hey, they were both awesome! Seeing the two talk and tend to the plants the way they did, as if they've known each other for years, was a huge relief. Even if Aerith's earlier comment was a bit strange.

Zack checked his PHS for the time and was a bit dismayed to find that it was getting pretty late. They were definitely going to miss dinner.

Somehow, though, Zack got the feeling that Cloud wouldn't be too upset.


	4. Chapter 3 - That Night

Later that night, Cloud found himself staring at the ceiling of his bunk, wide awake despite the hour. He had a relatively nice evening, at least, in comparison to earlier, but Aerith's words still left him feeling uneasy. "The Planet is very fond of you". . . what does that mean? It's just as likely to mean nothing as it is to mean something, so he really shouldn't be letting himself get so worked up over it. Maybe Aerith normally drops cryptic messages on everyone she meets; He wouldn't put it past Zack to be around someone like that, with the kind of company he keeps.

Aerith did seem kind of odd, too. Not a bad odd, to be fair, but there was just something about her that made you stop and look closer. He just couldn't put his finger on it. . . It probably has something to do with the flowers. Back home, Cloud had something of a green thumb himself. Even if it was just kept mostly to the small garden his Ma had in the backyard, whichever plants he tended to almost always seemed to have the largest yields. However, he thought, there was a big difference between growing good vegetables and making flowers not only grow, but flourish in MIDGAR.

Not that that's a bad thing, of course. Despite her. . .eccentrics, Aerith was nice. Spending time with her had been genuinely relaxing. And it felt good to know that Zack considered him a close enough friend to introduce them. Really good, actually. Cloud actually found himself hoping that he'll get to meet up with her again.

Even if what she said still unsettles him a bit.

Whatever. Cloud turned around and shut his eyes. There's no point in thinking about things that don't mean a thing. Probably don't mean a thing. Hopefully. Either way, he needs to hurry up and fall asleep already. On the way back to ShinRa HQ from the slums, Zack had gotten a message on his PHS about an urgent mission briefing he had to get to, so more likely than not, he's not going to be around for a couple of days. Which means Cloud would need all the sleep he could get to get through whatever hell his bunkmates through at him tomorrow. Especially since he missed dinner. (Thanks, Zack.)

Oh, well. Time to hit the sack.

Angeal walked briskly down the hall the hall towards the Director's office, Puppy nipping at his heels.

It was late at night, past dinner (that he surprisingly didn't see Zack at), so he was a bit taken aback to be called up to Lazard's office. Normally, he only did briefings during normal work hours. Although, Angeal mused, SOLDIERs did technically work around the clock in case of emergencies. Which this probably was, he thought as he arrived at the office.

They walked in and stood at attention in front of the desk. Lazard waved a hand and they relaxed somewhat.

"Gentlemen," greeted Lazard, " I apologize for calling for you so late, but I'm afraid this mission is rather urgent."

"Urgent?" Prompted Angeal. Obviously, it would have to have been an urgent mission if the briefing couldn't wait until tomorrow, but he couldn't help but wonder just how urgent.

"Yes, well, the Science Department seems to think so." Lazard said. He turned in his chair and typed a few things on his computer. "They had gotten some concerning reading from the Icicle Area, near the Northern Crater. The whole department is up in arms about it." As he said this, he turned the monitor toward the two SOLDIERs. Angeal didn't consider himself a scientist by any means, so he didn't particularly know what it was he was looking at, but even he could tell that there was something worryingly abnormal about the numbers and figures on the screen. Lazard turned the monitor back towards himself and cleared his throat. "They have asked me to send a group to the Northern Continent to investigate."

"Who all will be going?" Angeal asked.

"You'll take a small group of thirds with you, and if the Science Department keeps pushing maybe even a group of troopers. I trust you to pick the individual SOLDIERs."

He was already mentally going through the list of potential Thirds he knew that were suited for missions up north when Zack stepped forward. He looked a bit apprehensive.

"Uh, sir, I know of a guy that would be perfect for this kind of mission. But, uh, thing is. . ." He trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Angeal narrowed his eyes. "He's kind of a cadet. . .?"

Silence. Angeal was dumbfounded. He knew Zack had some rather outlandish ideas at times, but he wasn't stupid. Especially when it came to missions, and even more so when someone could get hurt. So what the hell prompted Zack to ask to bring a CADET of all people on such a dangerous mission?!

His thoughts seemed to be shared by Lazard, judging by the look of incredulousy he shot at Zack. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you right. You want to bring a what?"

"Okay, okay, I know how this sounds, but hear me out -" Zack began, and raised his hands as if that would calm them and make his idea somehow sound less insane. "Kid's from Nibelheim, alright? Their spring probably qualifies as winter here. I've seen him walk around in a tank-top in below-zero temps, okay, he's practically immune to cold."

"Zack, the cold isn't the main issue here -" Angeal began, but was cut off.

"I know, I know 'Geal, let me get there! See, he told me that in Nibelheim, you've gotta be all sorts of a good survivalist to live there, what with it being so deep in the mountains and all. Especially in the winter, since they've got to find their own food pretty much. He lived with a single mom, too, so no one in town really helped him out much. Dude can track and hunt and all the for days." He added to his defense of the cadet with over-the-top hand gestures. Angeal wanted to whack him over the head and remind him that people, cadets especially, exaggerate the truths of stuff they've done in order to impress most SOLDIERs. But, alas, Zack was still explaining away his choice for the mission.

"So, uh, this is basically a track-and-kill or whatever mission, right?" Zack paused only to look back-and-forth at them both, "So, wouldn't it make sense to have someone that can, ya know, track? Especially in real snowy places?"

Angeal was aghast to see that Lazard nodded along with this, however hesitant it was. I mean, technically, he supposed Zack had a point. A point that would've been far more sound if the tracker in question was an actual SOLDIER. Hell, even a normal trooper would've been better than a cadet!

Angeal opened his mouth to say something, but Lazard raised a hand to silence him. He looked conflicted for a moment, shuffled a few papers on his desk, and looked back at Zack.

"While you may have a. . .slight point, Fair, you do realize you are asking me to allow a cadet to go on a rather urgent mission, solely because of skills you can only assume he has?"

"I know, but trust me on this! He's perfect for the job, I know it!" Zack put his hands together in front of him and practically begged, puppy dog eyes and everything. Lazard pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh. Angeal wondered, for a moment, if he had ever gotten a request for something like this before. Hopefully not. (And, once he shares a few select words with his student, never again.)

"If I let you take him on this mission, can you guarantee that he will be only a boon?" He said, and if Angeal didn't know any better, that almost sounded like he was going to let this happen. But, no, he wouldn't do that, right? No, that'd be crazy, you'd have to be insane-

Zack nodded vigorously, crossed his heart and hoped to die, swore on scout's and SOLDIER's honor, and Angeal lost a bit of respect in their Director when the man uttered a pained 'Fine.

The rest of the mission details were sorted out, and Angeal would admit to not looking at either person in the room for the remainder of the briefing. Angeal would also admit that he was not completely listening to the rest of the hashed out information. Instead, he was internally forming the lecture he has going to give Zack once this briefing was over and done with. He could get the rest of the details from Zack afterward.

After that stunt, the boy had better be listening very close to the director from now on. Or else.


	5. Chapter 4 - Mission Start

Cloud stirred at someone trying to shake him awake. And, considering how long it had taken him to fall asleep in the first place, he didn't very much appreciate it. Especially when his internal clock told him it was still too early for reveille.

He slapped the offending limb away, snuggling deeper into his admittedly thin blankets. Honestly, the cadet barracks were far from luxurious, but right now he was too tired to care. He valued his sleep!

But then, the shaking continued, more aggressively. He thought he might've heard someone saying his name, but he was too busy trying to get them to leave him the hell alone to really care.

"Fuck'ff. . ." He grumbled and made to turn over, only for someone to grab his shoulder to keep him in place. As someone who didn't normally like people to randomly grab him when he was awake, he sure as hell didn't like that, and lashed out. Only, whoever it was grabbed his fist (not that it would've been very hard seeing as he was still half asleep). Finally opening his eyes and prepared to growl out all sorts of threats to whoever the hell keeps trying to wake him up, Cloud stalled at seeing who it actually was.

"Zack?" He asked in disbelief. What was Zack doing in his bunker?! Sure, the guy was a SOLDIER and all, but that doesn't mean he's allowed to go sneaking around all willy-nilly, right? Even if he was, it's damn early! And didn't he have a mission last night? What the hell?

"Finally in the world of the living, Spiky?" Zack asked, a cheeky grin on his face. Cloud blinked. Chuckling, Zack leaned back away from him. "Ah, maybe not completely."

"I. . . Zack, what are you doing here?" He had to ask, because frankly, it was way too early to be getting up to trouble.

"I'm getting you ready for our mission, duh! Or, did I not mention that yet. . .?" He put his hand to his chin in thought, then promptly shook his head. "Ah, well. Doesn't matter, I'll brief you on the way. Up and at 'em, soldier!"

Cloud couldn't help but stare, but got up anyways. He looked around his bunk of still-sleeping cadets (oh, the envy) and noticed that one of his uniforms had already been laid out for him. Did Zack go through? It was thoughtful, sure, but. . . Actually, not entirely surprising. Shaking his head tiredly, Cloud gathered up his clothes and left the bunk towards the locker room to change and get the remainder of his equipment. All of this was done in a tired daze as he tried to fight off the remaining sleepiness and surprise.

Exiting the locker room, now fully decked out in his uniform, Cloud came across Zack waiting outside the room doing squats. When he was noticed, Zack sprung up and motioned him to follow down the hall. Once they were walking side-by-side, he started explaining.

"Alright, so, you're gonna be coming with 'Geal, myself, and a couple other Thirds up North to check out some sketchy readings." He began, and Cloud interrupted him.

"But I'm just a cadet, why am I going?"

"Well, you're from a pretty hardcore snowy area, right? So you're gonna be our tracker-survivalist person! We're gonna be up there for at least a couple of days, so we're gonna need one. Who better than my Spiky?" Zack easily waved off his concern, "And besides, don't you cadets usually like having more experience?" It was a. . . pretty weak excuse to bring a cadet on a mission like that, if Cloud was being honest with himself. Not really wrong, but definitely not right.

Either way, he thought as they entered one of the elevators, he was here and apparently going on this mission. He was left wondering how in the world Zack had managed to convince anyone that this was a good idea when a new concern hit him.

"Zack, wait, what about my -"

"Classes?" He was cut off, "Yeah, Angeal pointed that out too. Don't worry about that, I'll help you catch up. Scout's honor!" Zack held a fist to his chest and winked. That was both relieving and not, considering how often he talked about the classes being 'unnecessary' and how he managed to pass without paying much attention. It was a nice gesture, though.

The elevator 'dinged' and Zack strode out, Cloud just a step behind. They walked the rest of the way towards the helicopter landing in silence.

Zack, with a spring in his step, no doubt due to going on a mission with both his mentor and best friend, and Cloud, with his nerves steadily rising. He gulped. He was really doing this, huh? He, a measly cadet, was going on the same mission as a First Class SOLDIER. This whole situation escalated from a mild annoyance to an absolute terror.

Even Zack's reassuring smiles couldn't have stopped the pit in his stomach from forming when they finally came upon their group. It was only sheer will that kept Cloud from freezing and staring.

"Hey, Angeal! Brought the chocobo!" Zack called out and he had to forcibly keep himself from glaring at his friend over the nickname. In front of the Commander, too! Said Commander began making his way towards them, and Cloud snapped to attention.

Commander Hewley stopped in front of them and began eyeing him, most likely taking in his lithe form and slightly frazzled expression. He raised an eyebrow over at Zack.

"This is the cadet you tried so hard to get permission to bring?" Hewley said, bringing his attention back over to the cadet in question. Cloud gulped and tried not to fidget under his skepticality. He had heard that Angeal Hewley was a kind, but stern man, and he was definitely looking the 'stern' part.

Zack waved his hands around. "Okay, okay, I know what he looks like, but trust me!"

A heavy sigh. Hewly pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's not like I can change anything now. . ." He shook his head lightly. "You're responsible for him. Understood?" And with one final look at them both that had Cloud unconsciously straightening his posture, the Commander left to begin ordering the rest of the men left in the hangar.

Cloud was still rooted in place even after he left and jumped when someone knocked against his shoulder.

"Hey, chin up buddy. I promise he's usually way more fun than that. He's just kinda mad at me right now, heh." Zack used a tone of voice that was surely meant to be reassuring, but unfortunately had no such effect against his torrent of nerves. "Anyway, left's get our packs and board up, yeah? 'Geal'll tell us more about the mission after we land."

Cloud took a deep breath, nodded, and made his way with Zack towards one of the helicopters.

The trip to the Northern Continent was, naturally, hell incarnate.

The helicopter barely got off the ground before Cloud started getting green, and really, it only got worse from there. He really should have expected this; It's not like his motion sickness would magically go away just because he's on an actual mission.

Speaking of missions, Cloud was horrified to note that his nausea did nothing to distract him from his anxiety. If anything, it made it far worse. It didn't take much to guess that Zack was really the only reason he was allowed here at all, and that made him a burden at best and a liability at worst. Which made him pointedly aware of how he was definitely not making a very good impression on the SOLDIERs. And, despite his earlier reassurances, he was also pretty certain he was disappointing Zack a little. His friend went through hoops and hurdles to get him on this mission, and here he was making a fool of himself!

Needless to say, after the countless hours of torture that is flying, Cloud was about damn ready to praise the Goddess when they started to land. It took every shred of will he had remaining not to jump out as soon as they landed, but somehow, he managed to wait until all the other SOLDIERs had gotten out before sliding out himself. Only a few steps on stable land and he was already feeling immensely better.

He drew in a breath of fresh air and gave a small smile when Zack smacked him lightly on the shoulder. With a tilt of his head, they made their way over to the rest of the group so they could be addressed by the Commander.

"Is everyone situated?" Hewley looked at each of them in kind, and Cloud almost thought that he lingered on him with a look of sympathy. Content, he nodded. " Alright, listen up. The Science department has gotten some very concerning readings about the mako levels north of here. Our job is to investigate the source, and, if any have been affected, exterminate any monsters in the area. For now, though, we will head for town and settle at the inn. We will begin our mission at 0500 tomorrow. Understood?"

Cloud nodded along in affirmation with everyone else. Satisfied, Commander Hewley turned and motioned for them to follow. He bit his lip as he fell into step behind the other SOLDIERs. He supposed he could why they needed someone who was familiar with the wilderness, specifically in frigid environments, but. . . He was still just a cadet. He wouldn't be any help in killing monsters, and he was definitely susceptible to mako. Surely they could've found a better, safer choice?

Whatever, he decided, and straightened a little. He was here now, and no amount of disapproval could change that. Cloud steeled his resolve and decided that, even if it was nothing compared to the others, he would definitely be giving it his all.


	6. Chapter 5 - Something to Prove

The trek to Icicle Inn was rather uneventful. They kept a standard pace in order to get there before nightfall, and the walk was a pretty quiet affair, save for Zack's constant amiable chatting, but, hey, Zack's Zack. The conversations _did _allow for Cloud to focus on something other than his nerves, so for that, at least, he was grateful.

When they did finally arrive at the small town, it was to the relief of the entire group. Commander Hewley sent Zack ahead of them to handle setting up rooms for the group, so for the moment everyone else was left to their own devices. Cloud. . . wasn't really sure what to do with the downtime. Sure, he could wait for Zack, but how to pass the time until then? It wasn't like he could just casually hang with the other SOLDIERs, even if a little part of him suggested that Zack was probably going to do that anyway.

Cloud frowned, still standing outside the entrance to the Inn itself. Usually, whenever he had free time at HQ, a novel concept in and of itself, he'd spend it with Zack, and if not, then he'd be studying or training. It really wasn't wrong that he needed as much experience as he could get, seeing as he wasn't exactly the best in his class. His friend wouldn't admit it, probably to avoid hurting his feelings, but he really needed as much help as he could get.

Maybe he should use this time to train, then? Or study, perhaps. He _was _missing class after all, and for all of Zack's offers to help him make up for it, it probably wouldn't hurt to start now. Oh, but he didn't bring any books with him, did he. . .?

"Strife."

Cloud jumped and whipped around. Upon seeing the Commander standing in the doorway he quickly snapped to a salute.

"Sir!"

Hewley looked at him for a moment, then turned to walk away, with a quick motion of his hand to follow. Cloud gulped nervously, but followed anyways. He couldn't have already done something wrong, could he? He shook his head once to clear his head.

They continued walking through the town for a few minutes, before turning down into a wide alleyway between two houses. Cloud stood tensely even as Hewley leaned against one of the walls. The Commander studied him for a moment, eyes looking him over, before he lifted a hand and finally spoke. "At ease."

Cloud relaxed, a little. That at least meant he wasn't in trouble, right? But then, what was this about?

Something must have shown on his face because then the Commander shook his head and chuckled. "Zack must be complaining about me too much if you're this nervous around me." He said, and Cloud started, but was stopped when he held up a hand. "No, it's alright. Zack told me you tend to be a bit anxious, don't worry. You're not in trouble," He smiled.

Well, to actually hear it was quite a relief. Cloud felt himself relax. He was a bit embarrassed by Zack, but, well, it's not like he was _wrong._ Still, though. . .

"Um, sir," He started, still a bit apprehensive, " If you don't mind. . . If I'm not in trouble, then, why. . .?" He trailed off when an oddly exasperated look came across the Commander's face.

Hewley sighed and Cloud felt his nerves kick back up.

"Look," the Commander began, "I think we _both _know you aren't qualified for this mission. Zack seems convinced otherwise, Goddess bless his heart, but that doesn't change the fact that you're just a cadet, and in no way skilled enough to handle this."

_Ouch_. It's not like Cloud didn't already know that, he's not _stupid, _but _wow._ The bluntness still stung like hell. He shifted in place and gave a belated nod in agreement. The statement might've hurt, but it wasn't wrong.

The Commander at least seemed glad enough he was willing to admit it. "I pulled you aside today to let you know that you don't have to try to be any better than you are. We all know you're just a cadet, and that you didn't ask to be here, so no one will hold it against you if you're not much help. No one expects anything of you. Well, except for maybe Zack, but I think he's just happy enough to have you here at all." Hewley gave him another smile, no doubt to try and further reassure him.

Cloud gave a fake smile in return."I understand, sir. I'll do my best."

If the Commander noticed anything strained in his face or voice, he didn't show it. Instead, he nodded, and turned to walk back to the Inn, only stopping to pat his shoulder on the way. Cloud waited until he could no longer see his figure, and then a few minutes after. When he was finally certain that he was out of the SOLDIER's earshot, Cloud let his face fall into a scowl. He slid down the wall of the building until he sat on the cold ground.

"_Damnit!" _He half-yelled to himself and slammed a fist into the ground. It hurt like hell, but he didn't care. He was _pissed_. They really thought he was useless, huh? At first, the thought made him feel small, and a wave a self-deprecation flooded over him. But it was soon drowned out in the anger and indignation he felt at being talked down to so casually. Cloud's pride wasn't a large thing, but it was a stubborn thing.

So what if he was just a cadet?! He knew that! He knew he wasn't going to be anywhere near as good as the SOLDIERs! But to be dismissed so easily. . . Zack was dead-certain that he was going to be useful on this mission, and while Cloud couldn't claim to know what goes on inside his friend's head, he at least knew to trust him, even if he didn't trust himself. If Zack said that he would be a good addition, then he'd do his best to live up to that. Would the others really write Zack's idea off as baseless so easily? Even his own mentor, with whom Zack looked up to and trusted more than he trusted himself?

Now _that _got Cloud's blood boiling.

With a hardening resolve, he got up from where he had been fuming and dusted the snow off his clothes. He decided he'd go check up on what's happening at the Inn before doing anything, but then after, he'd go train, and brush up on what he learned about tracking in Nibelheim.

He would show them. He would go beyond even Zack's expectations of him, if just to defend his friend's judgement. No one insulted both him _and _his friends and got away with it, no matter how roundabout of an insult it was.

Not even one of the Top Three.

* * *

_Well, this is easy. _Cloud found himself thinking the next day. The contingent of SOLDIERs (plus one cadet) was currently trudging around the snowy forests north of Icicle Inn, and though they valiantly hid it, no one was really quite happy to be in the knee deep snow.

Well, no one except Cloud.

Truth be told, despite how much he abhorred his hometown, Cloud missed the chilly mountain climate. It was never really cold enough in Midgar to call for snow, and even if it was, precipitation of any kind wasn't exactly the norm there. So, the glistening snow and biting chill of the Northern Continent was actually a pretty welcome change of scenery.

Of course, it didn't hurt that he seemed to be handling it better than the rest of the SOLDIERs.

Cloud fought to keep a grin off his face and instead took a deep breath of the cool, fresh air. It snowed last night, leaving the snow on the ground still a bit loose, and with it came a certain crispness to the air that you just couldn't get in Midgar's polluted gloom. It felt nice.

Not everyone quite appreciated the environment here, though. And by that, he of course meant Zack. The man in question was alternating between complaining about the cold, the snow, the lack of action, and sometimes all three in the same sentence. At some point, the others seemed to get tired of it.

"Oh, quit whinin'. Even the kid's handlin' it better than you!" One of the SOLDIER's shot off, head tilted in Cloud's direction. Cloud, for his part, barely twitched at being called a kid.

"But he's from Nibelheim! He doesn't count, he's used to it!" Zack whined back.

"An' he doesn't even have mako in 'im! You do, you big baby!"

The group continued shooting off good-natured jabs at each other. Mostly Zack, to his dismay and Cloud's amusement. He glanced at the Commander briefly and saw him sporting a fond smile at their antics as well.

He tuned back into the conversation at hand, which mostly involved teasing Zack about dealing with the weather worse than a cadet. Cloud tried not to get caught up in the pleasure of acknowledgement, reminding himself that he was only being indirectly complimented as a means to insult someone else. He had yet to prove himself to anyone here, but it was only a matter of time. Better to save his pride for when he actually accomplishes something.

He broke out of his thoughts when he found Zack had thrown himself around his shoulders.

"Well, at least Cloudy here won't be mean to me. Right, Spike?" He said with an exaggeratingly miserable tone. Cloud raised a brow, and he looked back with huge puppy dog eyes. "Right?!"

Cloud gave him a decidedly unimpressed look and shoved him off, ignoring the high-pitched whine that came from the older man.

Conversation dwindled down after that, and they continued on in comfortable silence.

Eventually, though, the sun began to set, and it was time to find a place to camp. As the resident survivalist-person, Cloud took it upon himself to find the best place to settle down for the night. It _was _technically his job, now, after all.

While Commander Hewley divvied up the jobs for setting up camp, Cloud wandered the surrounding area looking for a good place. Whether the Commander let him go because he remembered his role, or simply thought he'd be no use, Cloud didn't know, but didn't care either way. Eventually, he came across an outcropping of rock among a small bunch of trees, and grinned. He marked the spot in the snow so he could find it again and returned to the group.

He walked up to the Commander and saluted. "Sir," he began, "I've found an area that can provide cover from winds at night. We should set up camp there."

The Commander raised an eyebrow, but nodded nonetheless. "Lead the way." He gestured with his hand. Cloud nodded, dropping his salute, and making his way back to the rock outcropping he'd found earlier. He stopped and watched the Commander scan the area, and fought the urge to smile at the clear approval on his face. "Alright. Good work."

Cloud nodded, dismissing himself, and went to help the other SOLDIERs that were already setting up camp. All of it, from clearing the loose snow to allow set up, finding suitable firewood and storing it, pitching the tents to better hold up against the wind, to even building the fire so that it lasted for as long as possible with minimum fuel, were things he could do in his sleep, having spent more than a few nights camping by himself in the Nibel wilderness. Truthfully, he didn't find it very dazzling, but the grateful and somewhat impressed faces of the other SOLDIERs begged to differ.

He couldn't tell if their expectations of him were that low, or if they really _were _just _that _clueless about surviving in the wilderness. On one hand, he's a bit insulted. On the other hand, though, it's not very reassuring that ShinRa's elite don't even know the basics of camping.

After all was said and done setting up the camp, came the issue of finding food. They had army rations, of course, but no one was really all that enthusiastic about eating them. So, Cloud, still focused on going as above their expectations as possible, volunteered to go hunting. No one wanted to eat rations bad enough to bar him from going, though there were a few skeptical looks tossed his way.

All the better, he supposed. Cloud was taught how to hunt almost as soon as he could walk, so it'd be a walk in the park getting dinner. He smirked, imagining their faces when they see him enter camp with enough kill to feed them all twice over.

_Yeah, this'll be easy._


	7. Chapter 6 - Actions Have Consequences

Cloud frowned.

The tracks he was looking at were ones he could've identified a mile away. Which, on one hand, hey! That's good! Despite his earlier resolution, it was just in his nature for doubts to nag him in the back of his mind, so there was still a part of him that worried he'd be next to useless here. It feels nice to be proven wrong, sometimes, even if only to himself for now.

On the other hand, though. . . there was a reason he recognized those tracks so easy. _That _was the problem.

Because they were _obviously _from a dragon of sorts.

Were dragons even native to the Northern Continent? It was the right climate, definitely. Cold, isolated, and with plenty of caves to roost in. Thing is, he'd never _heard _of dragons from up here. Maybe they were rare? That probably wasn't good for him. It'd probably be worse if they _weren't _native here. He didn't think that'd be good for anyone here, but it would explain the mako reading they got? Maybe?

. . . Is that even how those reading worked?

Probably not.

"Hey, Cloud." Zack spoke from behind him all of a sudden. Cloud whipped around and flushed. Then flushed even deeper when he saw Commander Hewley stood behind him.

Zack covered a snicker at his reaction, the bastard, and Cloud tried not to scowl. Not pout, whatever some black-haired SOLDIERs may say, but scowl. Luckily for him, though, the Commander didn't so much as blink. "Did you find something, cadet?"

Cloud nodded. "Yes sir," He said, and gestured to the tracks in the snow in front of him. "Uhm, sir. . . Do you know if dragons are native to here?"

_That _got the Commander straightening. "_Dragons?"_ He asked, incredulity gracing his voice. Cloud didn't blame him. He gulped, and continued.

"Yes, sir. These tracks," He gestured again, " absolutely belong to a dragon." The Commander stepped forward and took a closer look at the prints. He frowned, glancing back up.

"And you're certain about this?" He asked sternly.

Cloud resisted the urge to fidget under his stare. "They're all over the place in the Nibel Mountains. I was taught how to recognize them before my own name. There's no doubt, sir." He replied. The Commander's frown deepened. A quick glance showed that Zack was looking between them with a concerned look.

After a tense moment, Hewley stood back up. "Can you tell which way they're headed?" He demanded more than asked. Cloud nodded, and was almost shocked still by the realization that he really _was _a necessity here. If he hadn't come here, then these men would be walking blind to an enemy they had no idea they were fighting. The thought formed a nervous pit in his stomach.

"They look to be headed that way." Cloud finally replied, gesturing towards an incline further away. "We shouldn't be too far behind it, sir." There was yet another snowfall last night, meaning that while the snow was still loose, any tracks from yesterday would've been covered up. Fresh snow, fresh trail.

Commander Hewley nodded, and turned back to the rest of the men to fill them in on the newest developments. Cloud saw the men stiffen and sober up, some sharing a few nervous glances with each other. Dragons were a big deal even to SOLDIERs, it seemed.

And then, they were off again.

Cloud was a bit anxious. Not that he'd admit it. No, he was the resident expert, now. He was the one that understood the enviroment and threat like the back of his hand, the one who was so used to this that he could hunt dragons with his eyes closed. He was supposed to be the backwater native who probably _had _a pet dragon when he was little. . . or something. Maybe he's been watching too many movies. . .

"Aww, cheer up Spike!" And suddenly Zack was glomping his, thankfully breaking him out of his nervous reverie. Trust him to know when one of his friends needed a distraction. "You don't gotta be so tense, you know!"

"Zack, this is a mission. I'm just trying to take it seriously."

He was waved off good-naturedly. "Yeah, but just look at me! I _always _take my missions seriously, but you don't see _me _actin' stiffer than the General."

Cloud raised an eyebrow, and just couldn't resist a jab. "Wait, you're actually taking this seriously? I think we need to call in a med evac." Zack sputtered, and someone in the group snorted.

"I think he might just be right, pup. Think you hit your head or something?" That one came _straight _from Commander Hewley himself, and he couldn't hold in a laugh even as Zack gaped.

"An_geal!" _A very, _very _loud whine resounded from the mouth of one Zackary Fair.

They froze. No one dared move a single muscle, even as the last echo of the yell tapered off. Everyone stood stock still, eyes warily scanning the surroundings.

Slowly, Cloud turned to look at the source of the yell. The SOLDIER himself looked slightly pale and apologetic. Just before Cloud could tear him a new one, ranks be damned, about _loud noises_ and _snowy enviroments_, an ominous rumbling sounded off in the distance. Dread filled his body even as someone else yelled out.

"_Avalanche!"_

* * *

Angeal dusted the snow off his clothes and resolutely decided to give his student a _very _thorough lesson on enviromental awareness.

He huffed, mentally checking himself for injuries. He was pretty banged up, loads of bruises and small cuts, but overall he was pretty well off for getting out of an avalanche. He reached up behind him, checking to see that his beloved Buster was still in her harness. She was, thank Gaia, and he breathed a sigh of relief. She'd have to be tended to after the mission ended, unfortunately, but at least she wasn't lost in the snow.

He scanned the area around him, watching his men dig themselves up out of the snow. Except, wait. . .

He narrowed his eyes, and recounted. One, two, three. . . Four, including himself. That wasn't right. There were seven men total on this mission. Worry filled him, _especially _when he noticed that neither the cadet _nor _his student were among the men picking themselves up.

"Everyone!" He knew better than to shout, but years of military service had his voice being carried effectively even without the volume, "We've got three unaccounted for! Check the perimeter, see what you can find!" The SOLDIERs didn't need to be told twice, theirs being a tight group, and Angeal himself set off looking for the missing men.

_'Zack, as soon as I make sure you're okay, you're going to be in for it.' _Angeal thought to himself. He wasn't _too _worried about his student; Zack had proven to be. . . pretty sturdy over the years. His student tended to rush in instead of plan things out, which led to him building up a resistance, of sorts, to being tossed around. In all honesty, the boy could get knocked off the plate and walk away with barely a scratch.

No, the one that Angeal was _really _worried about was that Cadet Strife. He'll be the first to admit that he underestimated the kid at first. When he first saw the cadet, all thin limbs, wild hair, and dazed expression (Was he even told he would be going on a mission until that morning? Knowing Zack, probably not.), Angeal's first thought was that there would be no Gaia-given way he'd pass the SOLDIER exam. Admittedly, he should know better than to judge a book by its cover, especially after knowing Genesis as long as he has. Genesis wasn't exactly top-SOLDIER material when they first joined either; Yet, look at him now, one of the strongest fighters in ShinRa. When he had pulled the cadet aside to tell him as much, he had noticed the start of a fire in his eyes. And the next day, that fire only grew, the boy out-performing all of Angeal's expectations of him.

He was impressed; The kid had potential.

But potential, no matter how much, could change the fact that Strife was still unenhanced, still a _cadet_. Whereas Zack had the experience and mako to take care of himself if he got split up after something like an avalanche, Strife _didn't_. He might fare better if he ended up wherever Zack was, but that's only if he actually survived the damn thing.

Angeal frowned. The Cadet was only here because Zack vouched for him, and it was Zack's responsibility to watch over him. And Zack _was _the one that caused the avalanche, however accidently. If the boy died. . .

He shook his head. He'd searched as far as he was willing to split from the remainder of the group, with no sign of the missing men. He sighed as he turned to make his way back to clearing he'd landed in in the first place. There was still a mission to be done. If they're not in the immediate vicinity, he'll just have to go on without them, no matter how much it grated on his sense of honor. Hopefully, they'll either find each other at the mission site, or rendezvous back at Icicle Inn.

He'll just have to have faith.

Sighing, Angeal returned to his men. They had all conducted their own searches, sadfully pulling up nothing except for some scattered equiptment, and regrouped where they had first landed.

"Attention!" He called out, still careful _not _to yell. The gathered men turned to face him. "We still have a mission to complete. I know we're not all accounted for, but we'll just have to proceed without them. Understood?"

A chorus of '_Yes sir!_' rang out, and Angeal set off, ignoring the grim faces of his men. If there was nothing pressing, then of _course _he'd want nothing more than to search. His student was dear to him, and despite the boy's sturdiness, Angeal had a tendency for concern. Still, though, he couldn't abandon the mission. All he could do at this point is aim to get it done as quickly as possible so they can scour the snow.

It also wouldn't have hurt to have their tracker, but that couldn't be helped. It's not like he was _entirely _useless when it came to outdoorsy skills like that; This just isn't the environment he was used to. He could probably be considered decent on his home turf, in forested areas like Banora, but out here, in the snowy tundra? It's probably easier to see the tracks themselves, but that's about it. Speaking of tracks. . .

There, up ahead in the snow, he could faintly see impressions in the snow. Angeal called for a halt as he went to get a closer look. Upon further inspection, it looked absolutely nothing like the tracks found earlier by Cadet Strife. Still, though, it could point them in the right direction.

He got up, brushing the snow off his clothes, and motioned for his men to follow him. Walking along the trail left behind by whatever monsters came this way led the group to a small cave opening, one of many this far up the Northern Continent. They cautiously made their way inside, guarded and on high alert.

Angeal heard it before the others. A soft _click-click-click_ of what sounded like claws or talons coming from farther in the the cave. He stopped, and the rest stopped behind him. The clicking continued, it was, it was getting closer.

Slowly, quietly, he drew his broadsword, his men following suit.

Suddenly, the clicking stopped. He held a breath.

Then it - two of them, actually - came out of hiding. An odd, gray-red armored humanoid monster with absurdly long, razor-sharp claws. They hobbled along, the claws on their feet making that _click _he heard ealier. The two monsters stopped, and turned to them. Tension filled the air, and Angeal tightened his grip on his sword, dropping into a ready position.

Belatedly, he noted that there didn't actually seem to be any mako in the cave, even though he had noticed the faint glow coming from under what he _assumed _was the monsters' helmets. Which most likely meant that their _actual _mission objective was somewhere else, and these two just wandered off. And that spurred another, far more worrying thought.

_'Didn't Strife say there was a dragon?'_


	8. Chapter 7 - Plot armor, whoops

"...oud..."

"C...oud!"

"CLOUD?!"

A loud, frenzied voice broke through the darkness, and Cloud was acutely aware that he was being smothered.

He thrashed, trying to break his way out of the snow suffocating him. If he managed to hear the others, then he can't be too far from the surface, right? Then again, Zack could be almost unnaturally loud at times. . .

Wait, Zack! Cloud froze momentarily, remembering why he was trapped in the snow in the first place. He growled, then, and renewed his struggle with a quite literal vengeance. As soon as he gets out of here, he's going to kick Zack's ass, or Gaia help him -!

"There you are!"

Speak of the devil and he shall appear, looking rather worse for the wear at that. Not that Cloud managed to get a good look at him. If fact, he only managed to get a deep breath into his screaming lungs before he got a face full of a very worried looking puppy.

"Oh Gaia, I was so worried about you! I mean, I was worried about the other guys too, still am, but they're enhanced and you're not, and - and - I'm so sorry! That was so stupid and I'm so stupid and you're not saying anything, wait are you dead?! Oh no, please don't tell me I just killed my best friend -"

Unfortunately for Cloud's revenge fantasy, it was extremely hard to stay mad at Zack, especially when he's like this. Sighing internally, Cloud patted Zack on the bicep and tried to pry him off. Immediately, he was dropped, and he landed with an oof. Nearby, Zack hovered over him, looking him up and down as he picked himself up. Cloud allowed himself to be examined for injuries with only mild annoyance. He knew better than to try and prevent Zack's protective tendencies.

"See? I'm fine, save for you trying to crush me earlier." He tried to joke and lighten the mood, but Zack just frowned instead.

"You're really banged up." He proved his point by poking Cloud in a rather sore spot on his ribs. He slapped the hand away.

"Well, yeah, you did just drop an avalanche on me. I'd say I'm pretty well off for that." Wrong thing to say, again, apparently. Zack frowned deeper and he took on a distinctly guilty expression. As he opened his mouth to apologize again, Cloud picked up a handful of snow and threw it at him. "Ah, shut it. It's my fault, anyway. You idiots wouldn't tell the difference between a dragon print and a marlboro print if it bit you on your ass, I should've told you about staying quiet."

That successfully got Zack to laugh, but now Cloud had to reconsider. Should he have told them? With them being SOLDIERs and all, he'd figured that they all would've been in a snowy area at one point or another, and they'd be warned there. Or maybe even learned it in training; He had specific lessons on outdoor environments. Maybe it's a new thing, and they never actually knew? Maybe he should've said something. It wouldn't earn him any good in the Commander's eyes if he forgot something as basic as avalanches.

Cloud blinked.

"Hey, where'd the others go?" He asked. It definitely wouldn't make him better in the Commander's eyes if he forgot to look for them. He looked up at Zack, who shrugged.

"Dunno. I looked for them a little, but, I, uh, was kinda focused on finding you. " He chuckled, embarrassed, and ran his hand through his bangs. " I might've wandered a bit farther off than I should've. Oops?"

Cloud facepalmed and groaned. Oh, Zack. Sweet, lovable Zack. Are you real right now?

"Hey, cheer up!" Zack through his arm around his shoulders, and ruffled his hair. "We're SOLDIERS! We can take a few hits, yanno? Besides, Angeal's First Class, so he'll be more than fine. They're probably already at the mission place!" Cloud pushed him off, and Zack grinned.

Well, Cloud had to hand it to him there. Hewley was First Class, and he took very good care of his SOLDIERs. They probably were fine. It was the unenhanced cadet they were all worrying about more than themselves, most likely, and wasn't that grating? Then again, he probably should be worse off than he was, so why complain?

There really was no need to worry about them, but the two of them being alone raised another problem:

"So, what do we do now?"

* * *

After some debate on where to go, ("No, Zack, moss does not actually grow on just the northside of rocks. Where did you even find moss, anyways?") they decided on a random direction and set off. The general agreement was that they couldn't be that far from everyone else, so they should just find some sign of the others, and then go from there.

And off they went, trekking through the loose snow and hoping to find something. Zack very deliberately did not consider what would happen if they found nothing, and instead focused on Cloud, who also seemed to deliberately not consider what would happen. Forced optimism was contagious, it seemed.

It wasn't very easy to maintain, though. As seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned to hours, hope was starting to wane. Cloud nervously breathed out onto his hands and rubbed his arms, trying to warm himself up. He was unenhanced and therefore dressed in thermal wear, of course, but even that had its limits (being buried by snow, for instance).

Zack watched as his friend sent out another small shiver with a frown. Now, Zack may be notorious for his. . . lack of foresight, but even he could admit when he's messed up. And right now? He can damn well say that he's messed up, big time. Why didn't anyone try and stop him?!

. . . Oh, yeah, they did. Multiple times. Damn it all, Zack, why don't you ever listen?!

"Zack?"

He blinked, looked down, and winced. Cloud, even in his half-frozen, five-foot five inched glory, was the only person he knew that could probably out-glare Sephiroth, and the one he was giving now was rather accusatory.

Aw hell, he must've been thinking with his face again.

"Yeah, buddy?" He replied nervously. Cloud narrowed his eyes.

"You're not trying to take the blame for this again, are you?"

"Wha-at?" He feigned offense at the statement, holding a hand over his heart. "Nuh-uh, I was just thinking 'bout, uh . . ."

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "About. . . what?" Oh, no, suspicious levels are rising! Quick, Fair, think of something!

"Tonberries!" was what he finally decided on, and Cloud's expression changed from accusing to skeptical. Well, progress is progress, and when given an inch, Zack Fair aims for a mile! " Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want. But, like, we were sent here to find a monster, right? Well, what if it's just a li'l mako-dunked Tonberry! All those hours of snow and flying and more snow just to find this."

And then he did his very best impression of a Tonberry, even going so far as to try (and fail) and pull the back of his turtleneck over his head to pose as a hood. Cloud laughed out loud at that one, and Zack grinned. Success!

"Okay, okay, you win, I believe you." Cloud said after recovering from his laughing fit, then added, more seriously, "For now. But I better not catch you feeling guilty again, got it?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" Zack said and gave a salute, causing them both to laugh. Soon, though, the mood dissolved and they went back to marching in silence.

Zack's mind was not so silent, though. Internally (and very carefully not showing it on his face), he scolded himself. Now was not the time to get caught up in his head, dangit! He could feel as guilty as he wanted after they got back to Midgar, but that all depended on them actually getting back to Midgar! Right now, he needed to keep a clear mind and focus in case something else goes wrong. . .

Deep breaths, Zack. Remember your training, and what Angeal taught you. You're a SOLDIER, don't forget it.

Zack would later be very proud of himself for being the one to find the tracks in the snow, and even prouder that he recognized it as the same kind Cloud had pointed out earlier without any help.

Cloud kneeled down next to the print and looked at it for a moment. "It looks like it was headed that way," He said, and gestured in a direction over his shoulder. "The snow's still kind of fresh, too, so it couldn't have been too long ago." He got back up, brushing the snow off his pants, and Zack clapped him on the shoulder.

"Great! That means we know where we're going, then!" He said and grinned, internally relieved at finding something. Cloud just looked at him like he was crazy.

"Did you hit your head during the avalanche, or something?"

"Okay, okay, look, hear me out," Zack waved his hands around, and Cloud crossed his arms. "That dragon's, like, the most likely thing we're looking for, right? So that means, at some point or another, Angeal's gonna get there, too! So if we get there around the same time, then we'll have to run into each other!"

Cloud was still looking at him skeptically, and Zack didn't blame him. After his last bright idea. . . No, no, this one was actually decently thought out, he was sure of it. He held his hands in front of him in a begging motion and used the biggest, brightest puppy dog eyes he could muster. He hated his nickname sometimes, but it did have its perks.

Cloud sighed and shook his head, but conceded. " Alright, it'll be this way. Come one." Zack grinned, and dragged him along, ignoring the grumbling that followed. They would be fine, he would make sure of it. Besides, even if this did turn out to be one of his trashy ideas, a bad idea is worse than no idea, right?

(Somewhere else, Angeal Hewley felt the sudden urge to lecture his student on tact. This is not a new feeling, and he wonders what the hell he's done this time.)

Again they walked on, following whatever snowtracks they may find, and occasionally having to change direction. Zack noticed that, strangely enough, nothing ever came out to attack them. He had noticed it earlier, too, and the day before, but he really had to wonder why. It's not like he knew much about monsters in the Northern Continent, anyways. He made it a point to take missions as far away from the cold as possible, but now it seems to be coming back to bite him. Maybe they only came out at night. . .?

Looking up at the sky, Zack frowned. It was cloudy, so it was a bit hard to tell, but it was doubtlessly getting dark. Nightfall would be soon, and they don't have that much time. He looked back down at Cloud to find him wearing a small frown, and knew they were thinking the same thing. They needed shelter, and soon.

They agreed to split up to look for something to use as shelter, with Zack stressing that they remain within earshot so that no one has to yell too loud. He knows how to learn his lessons. As luck would have it, it thankfully didn't take long before Cloud was calling his name.

The cave they had found was more than enough to suit their needs. Stepping in, they were both extremely thankful to be out of the way of the elements. Looking around, Zack found himself impressed at the place. It was. . . well, big. And deep. Very, very, deep. He found himself less in awe and more on guard as he looked around. Now, he didn't know the Northern Continent very well, but he did know how caves worked. A good rule of thumb was that if it was deep enough where you couldn't see the mouth, then there was a good chance of some sort of monster nest hiding in it.

"Hey, Cloud, you got your sword?" He asked calmly. Cloud frowned and shook his head. It must've been lost in the snow during the avalanche. "Alright, stick close then. I'm just gonna check if there's anything down here, 'kay?"

With a nod in affirmation, they both started their cautious descent into the cave. They walked with bated breath, keeping a close eye on their surroundings. Zack felt a little bad at having Cloud come with him, seeing as he's unarmed and unenhanced, but he'd prefer to keep an eye on him rather than leaving him vulnerable all by himself. Of course, he'd probably get an earful if he actually said that out loud.

They slowly made their way through, going deeper and deeper. Zack was struck once more by just how big it was; He was half afraid that they'd get lost somewhere down here. But, he had to admit he was a little curious. Caves were normally one of two things in his experience: Musty and unsettling, or stunningly beautiful. So far, this one seemed to fall in the latter category. There was an odd lack of stalagmites and stalactites, instead the cave seemed almost carved out of the ground. Though, there were small croppings of rock every so often that kind of reminded him of stairs, and wasn't that cool? It's not often you find a cave that's actually easy to walk through, and it was definitely made easier by the faint glow that seemed to stem from wherever they were going.

Wait. Glow?

Zack quickened his pace to reach the apparent bottom, and his breath caught at the sight.

Before him was a pool of some of the brightest mako he had ever seen. The light reflected off the surfaces of rock and crystal surrounding it, illuminating everything in a familiar shade of green. Lying at the edges of the pool were materia shards, twinkling and winking at him. The walls of the cavern were crystalized, telling just how long this pool has been here.

But that's not what caught his attention, and from the small gasp beside him he could tell he wasn't the only one. Standing smack in the middle of the pool, with it's reflection cast on near every reflective surface, and reflecting the twinkling lights of mako and materia, was a sword. A beautiful, lustrous sword, around the same size as the Buster Sword that he was familiar with. It had a blockier handle, but Zack could tell just by looking at it that it was just as powerful as the Buster. Strangely enough, he almost felt at ease by the sight. Almost as if something in the mako, or something in the dazzling lights was whispering, singing to them. He didn't look away, but he had a feeling Cloud was just as affected.

But. . . what was it doing here? Who in their right mind would just. . . leave something like that?

"You think. . . that's the disturbance, maybe?" Cloud's voice rose barely above a whisper, and portrayed exactly how awe-stricken he was. Zack just nodded dumbly. The blade just had an aura of magic that couldn't be described, though he knew it wasn't normal. It just had to be related to whatever sent them on the mission. Maybe they weren't even looking for a monster like a dragon. They never did find it, actually, did they?

Zack's eyes widened at the realization, and his heart dropped.

Throughout the cave, and far too dangerously close for comfort, a bone-rattling roar rang out.


	9. Chapter 8 - Sword in the Stoneer, Mako

Light reflected off his sword as Zack fended off another swipe of claws. They were cast all around the cavern, sometimes hitting the surface of the mako and casting even more arrays of light. Normally, even caves with mako pools would tend to be darker than sunlight, but this cave yet again showed off its uniqueness with its illumination.

Under normal, non-life-threatening circumstances, Cloud might've wanted to linger and appreciate the stunning beauty. Currently, though, he gave little mind to his surroundings, instead watching nervously as his friend tried to fight off a dragon all by himself.

He winced, watching as Zack barely managed to dodge a snap of the dragon's teeth.

Damn it all, he was useless! Worse than useless! He wasn't enhanced, he didn't have a weapon - he couldn't even run outside on the slim chance of finding Commander Hewley! They were cornered, with the dragon blocking the only entrance and no other way out except find a way to kill it.

Well, Zack was trying to kill it. Meanwhile, Cloud was hiding behind a slab of rock like a fucking coward and trying not to draw attention to himself. What else was he supposed to do, weak and defenseless like he was? The least he could do would be to not distract Zack, and if the dragon focused in on him instead, what the hell was he supposed to do then?

Cloud stopped, forcing himself to take deep breaths. Panic. . . panic never helps in situations like these. Slowly, he unclenched his fist, wincing slightly. If he hadn't been wearing gloves, his nails probably would've drawn blood with how hard he kept them. Calm down, he needed to calm down. His heart was damn near beating out of his chest, but he could calm down. He had to.

Focus, Cloud, and think. What to do, what to do, there's got to be something he can do! His only friend's going to get himself killed soon if he does nothing! Something, something, Gaia, anything! He's too damn weak to act directly, but maybe. . . maybe. . .

He gulped, ignoring the rising desperation and trying to think.

The dragon was blocking the way out of the cave, so running is a no-go. Zack was trying to kill it; Keyword being "trying". As it was, it looked more like he was just barely hanging on by the skin of his teeth. A commendable achievement, seeing as a whole squad of Seconds would probably find difficulty in taking down a dragon, and this one was mako-crazed. Commander Hewley might even have trouble taking it down. So: killing it was also out of the picture. . . Lure it, maybe?

Cloud inhaled sharply - now that's an idea! He could act as bait to draw it further into the cave. Meanwhile, Zack could do. . . something. Cloud seriously doubted he'd miraculously find a way to kill it from behind (especially since its scales were probably sturdier than the Shinra Issued Broadsword he was using), but maybe he didn't need to. There was, after all, a pool of mako sitting right there. They could find a way to push it in! Maybe with materia? Did Zack even have materia? Cloud feels like he would've used it by now if he did, but maybe he just forgot, or had low mana, or something. It didn't matter; They'd find a way to push it in even without materia.

Probably.

Now he just has to get Zack's attention and tell him the plan. Easier said than done, most likely. How to get Zack over here safely without the dragon following. . . He scanned the cave, looking for something to serve as a distraction, and his eye was drawn to the sword in the middle of the pool. The angle he looked at it from, though, had light reflected directly in his eye. He cursed, rubbing his eyes, when an idea struck.

He dug through his bags (gratefully, he took them when they went to explore the cave) and let out a thanks to the Gods when he found his flashlight. He grinned humorlessly at the thought that he managed to keep track of a flashlight when he couldn't even keep hold of his sword or rifle. After checking it to make sure the avalanche didn't kill it, he crept in front of his hiding spot and waited.

Eventually, Zack spotted Cloud from the corner of his eye. He made a strangled sound that, while not forming any actual words, probably meant he did not approve Cloud being anywhere close to out in the open. With the foreknowledge that he'll have to get over that for the plan to work, Cloud ignored his frantic hand-motioning to take cover. Instead, he signalled for Zack to use his sword to block and prayed that his flashlight was strong enough for what he was trying to do. Confused, Zack held his up his sword, with the flat of his blade facing up, and Cloud aimed and switched the flashlight onto its highest setting.

With a roar that shook the ground, the dragon stumbled away, furiously shaking its head. It tossed and turned, stumbling around and blindly attacked its surroundings. Cloud mouthed 'hurry' to his friend, motioning him to run back, and Zack just narrowly avoided getting stomped on. They met back behind Cloud's original hiding spot, and before Cloud could so much as blink, Zack exclaimed:

"What the hell was that?!"

Cloud sighed. It was going to be another fight in itself to get him to agree to the plan. "One of the reasons dragons roost in caves is because their eyes are sensitive to light. This one's been exposed to mako, so it's gonna be even more sensitive, because, y'know, enhancements." He waved his now-off flashlight. "Even the reflection of this is enough to blind it, at least temporarily. Though it can still hear, so, maybe don't yell?" He ended his explanation with a slight scowl.

Zack sighed, well aware by now that being loud causes more harm than good. "Well, thanks for the break, but I don't think that'll keep it occupied for long. . ."

"I know, which is why I've got a plan." Cloud said, and crouched down.

Zack hummed, and copied him. "Can't be any worse than one of my plans," he said almost petulantly, then brightened up. "Hit me."

"I can use myself as bait to lure it closer to the mako pool."

"And I lied, that is worse than one of my plans. Cloud, you can't just -"

"No, no, there's no way in hell you can make a better one, so just listen, okay?"

Zack huffed, but given his track record with plan-making, conceded.

"Okay, so, the first thing we need to do is get it away from the exit. That way, even if we can't kill it, we can still get the hell out. If I go out there, I can lure it closer to the mako pool. You can't be the bait because you're the only one that even has a smidgen of a chance to do something to it. Then we can, I don't know, push it in? Run like hell? Something more productive than what we're doing now, at any rate."

"Push it in how, exactly?"

"Got any materia?"

Zack blinked, as if only just realizing that that was an option. He patted himself down, checking pockets, and frowned. He shook his head.

Cloud sighed. "Damn. Run like hell it is."

"Do you know how crazy this is?" Zack asked, still very much against it. "This is so half-baked, it barely constitutes as a plan."

"I'm surprised you even know that word." He ignored Zack's indignant sputtering, and asked "Do you have any better ideas?"

Zack frowned, visibly put out. The ground shook as the dragon gave out another roar, and they could both feel that they didn't have much time left to talk it over. Zack clenched his fist, and through gritted teeth, ground out, "Fine. We'll do it your way. I'll stick somewhere between the pool and the exit. Get it as close to the mako as you can - without putting yourself in more danger - and then blind it with your light again. Make a break for it, and I'll watch your back."

Cloud nodded, relieved that he seemed to be going along with it despite his displeasure. The relief soon turned to nerves, though. All that's left to do now is to put the plan in motion. Easier said than done, but what else is new?

Cautiously, they crept from their hiding place. The dragon's blindness wore off at that point, so it was now warily watching the cave for any sign of movement from its prey. Careful not to make a sound, Cloud slowly made his way to the end of the cave opposite of the entrance, ducking behind rocks and keeping to the shadows. He counted his breaths, trying and failing to slow down his heart. In the silence of the cave, his heartbeat seemed loud enough to be heard for miles.

The ground he crawled on grew greener the closer he got to the mako pool. Shards of mako became more and more prevalent, and it took great concentration to avoid stepping on them. He didn't think they'd be fragile enough to break if he did, but he also didn't think they'd be very quiet.

Eventually, he reached a point where it was too bright to hide in the shadows and there was nothing left to hide behind. He gulped nervously and looked behind him, fidgeting with his flashlight. The dragon stood as a sentry at the entrance of the cave, and he could see the glow of its eyes even from the distance. He searched the rest of the cave, looking for Zack, and almost sighed in relief when he met a pair a purple eyes. Logically, Cloud knew he would've heard it if the dragon attacked him, but a part of him still worried.

Faintly, he could see Zack nod, and then raise his fist in a thumbs-up. He nodded back, and took in a deep breath.

Show time.

Cloud left the safety of his spot and stood right in the dragon's line of sight. With the glow of the mako right behind him, there's no way he went unseen. Just to make sure, though, he put his fingers in his mouth and whistled as loud as he could. He saw the dragon whip its head towards the source of the sound. Its growl shook him to the bone, and its eyes pierced right through him, but he prided himself when he didn't flinch.

"Hey!" He cupped his hands to his mouth and yelled, "Over here!"

The dragon stalked towards him, finally leaving its place at the front of the cave. Cloud stayed right where he was, though, and kept his eyes on the monster. He waved his hands above his head, trying to agitate it and get it to move faster, damnit. The sooner it was on his side of the cave, the sooner they could run for it and get the hell out. He didn't let himself get too caught up in his impatience, though, and focused on watching the monster's every move.

It prowled closer, and Cloud got the distinct impression of a cat stalking a mouse. He just hoped the saying about cornered mice scratching back was true.

Even as slow as it was moving, it was a large beast, so despite his earlier impatience it seemed all-too-soon that it was almost right in front of him.

"That's right. . . just a little bit closer. . ." He said under his breath, gripping his flashlight. He breathed carefully, and widened his stance, preparing to run.

The dragon stopped in front of him and growled. Cloud resolutely did not flinch. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered why it seemed so cautious of him when it attacked Zack almost on-sight, but watching as it reared back in preparation for an attack he shooed that thought away and aimed his flashlight.

He switched it on its highest setting, a pained roar filled the air, and he ran.

He had only taken a few steps when he realized he forgot two things: One, that the beast would absolutely retaliate to being blinded a second time, and, two, that he was just as close to the mako as it was. As it was, the giant scaly tail that swung towards him served as a very good reminder of both of those facts.

Pain exploded as he was knocked back, and distantly he could hear Zack yell out his name. He squeezed shut his eyes, bracing himself for the acid burn of mako, and instead collided with something very solid (and painful). He had a half-second to wonder if he was somehow thrown all the way to the other side of the mako pool when the burn he was expecting finally came.

It being expected didn't make it hurt any less, though. The pool was surprisingly shallow, but Gaia, it was excruciating. He let out a choked whimper. It felt like millions of needles were working to peel off his skin, like hot coals were being stuffed through his pores and into his blood. He couldn't even tell which parts of him were actually touching the stuff; the pain spread throughout his body and increased tenfold with every throb of his head. He couldn't even tell if he was breathing or not, he couldn't hear anything over the ringing in his ears and if he was taking in any breaths then it was not enough, not when he was surrounded by liquid fire that soaked through his clothes and into his body, into his lungs and blood and -

There was a sound apart from the ringing. It was important and even if he couldn't tell what it was he knew he needed to find it. He didn't know when he opened his eyes, or how long he'd been staring at the green-tinted reflection below him, but with a great, painful effort, he blinked and turned his head to look in front of him.

Zack. Zack was in front of him, far away and on the bank of the pool. He was yelling, probably yelling Cloud's name, but it just sounded garbled. Behind him, the dragon shook its head and stumbled around.

Cloud wanted to yell at his friend to get away, to just leave him and escape, but then he blinked and suddenly they were fighting. Again. Again, his friend was locked in a hopeless fight with a monster that was probably pissed at getting blinded twice now and it was all his fault. His own dumbass planning and weakness. Was this how Zack felt, he wondered? When the avalanche happened and they got stuck in this damn cave, did Zack feel as awful as he did right now?

He was getting distracted. His mind was foggy, thinking was getting harder, and he knew he was running out of time.

Out of time for what, though? What the hell could he do?

Cloud looked behind himself and was met with his own reflection. For a moment, he didn't know what to think of it. He wasn't even sure he wasn't hallucinating already. Rock wasn't reflective. Oh, but the sides of the pool was actually crystallized mako, and that was reflective, right? That and -

His eyes widened.

The sword. The sword! He could use the sword! His body was somehow both numb and in the most pain he'd ever felt, focusing was getting harder and harder as the seconds rolled by, and he'd probably get himself killed the moment he entered the fray, but what did he have to lose? The mako alone would probably be enough to kill him anyways, and if it didn't he'd have a hell of a case of mako poisoning, which was almost just as bad. Jumping into the fight would at least distract the dragon long enough to let Zack escape, so why not?

Cloud grabbed the hilt of the sword with both hands, and used it to pull himself up. His muscles burned, and his knees were wobbly and weak, but he managed it. He panted from the effort, not even having the energy to be embarrassed, and leaned on it. With great difficulty, he stood straighter and tried to focus on his breathing. He swallowed, and took hold of the handle.

Besides, he thought, dying to save his friend from a dragon sounded way better than dying in a pool of mako that barely even reached his knees.

He pulled the sword out of the ground.

* * *

Smoke was everywhere, it filled his lungs and burned his throat and eyes and covered up everything. Smoke smoke smoke and if it wasn't hidden by the smoke it was illuminated by the fire. Everything was on fire and the heat was unbearable and he choked on the smoke and smell of the blood and the only thing he could hear over hid ringing ears were the screams. It was all familiar and he felt he should know the place and the people but everything felt so distant and far away and he was in denial, no doubt, but there was no way any of this was real. He couldn't believe it, he didn't even know what it was but there was no way it was happening. His eyes stung and it wasn't smoke

but instead it was tears, he was crying or maybe it was the rain that he could barely feel that was washing away the blood on the ground and on his face and stole the warmth away from the body beneath him. He was being held and he felt that if he tried to look he'd recognize the body beneath him but everything hurt and did he even have a body, really? Everything was tinged green and he could hardly hear himself scream

as the sword came through her stomach and others screamed out too, and he might've remembered whose sword it was if he thought about it but all he could think about was blood staining pink, blood blood too much blood on his hands and clothes as he held her and not even a cure could help at this point oh Gaia she was going to die, she was dying and it was his fault he was too slow he should've seen it coming. How was he going to explain this to the others, they were all coming up here and

His name was being called.

Cloud blinked and everything washed away, leaving behind the carcass of a dragon laying right in front of him. He blinked again, confused, because how'd he get all the way here? Wasn't he just at. . .

Where was he again?

Someone called his name again, and through his confusion he could sense the urgency in the person's voice. He knew that person, didn't he? It was. . .

Zack?

"Cloud. . .?" He turned, and lo and behold, Zack was there, face filled with worry. He had his hand raised, half-reaching out, unsure of himself. It was an odd look on him. "You good, bud. . .?"

Cloud was confused at the question. Then, he noticed the weight in his hands, and looked down. He held a sword, bloody and heavy in his hands.

Ah, he remembered now. He killed the dragon, didn't he? How'd he manage that, huh? He could've sworn the mako messed him up. Maybe it did? That would explain that . . . hallucination. What was that about, anyways?

As if brought on by the thought, his head pounded and his knees buckled beneath him. Instead of meeting the ground, though, Zack dove and caught him. He looked near panicked, scared to death for his friend, but Cloud didn't notice. At that point, his vision had already went black, and he passed out.


	10. Chapter 9 - How Very Strange

**_this was uploaded on my phone, so if the format's weird. . . you know why. also i uploaded this on ao3 first and then forgot abt this lmao. ty V01Dsw0rd for reminding me!_**

* * *

_He was in a field surrounded by flowers that stretched as far as the eye could see. Instead of a clear blue, the sky was a brilliant white expanse. He thought that was odd; In fact, he thought the whole place was odd, as he couldn't seem to remember how he got there. He wasn't too concerned, though. He had a feeling, a deep, warm, comforting feeling, that he'd been here plenty of times._

_It felt like coming home._

_It was a beautiful place, and he found himself wishing he could stay._

_It was still curious. Even more so when he turned around and found himself facing a familiar figure. Aerith looked different from when he'd last seen her, though. She wore all pink instead of her white sundress, and he could've sworn she looked. . . Older, somehow. That was weird. He was tempted to ask her about it, but couldn't seem to move his mouth. That was also weird._

_He realized she was saying something, but he couldn't hear it. Her mouth moved, but he couldn't seem to read her lips, either. He didn't think it was anything good. She looked sad, regretful, almost. Her eyes were teary._

_Despite not knowing a word that she said, he found himself feeling upset. He was angry. He was disappointed. He was crushed, mournful, enraged, jealous, terrified -- His heart was being torn in two and he didn't know why. It was important, he could tell, but it was just on the tip of his tongue what it was. It was dangling on the edge of his memory, just out of reach, no matter how hard he tried --_

_Zack was there._

_He looked different, too, and it would've taken a moment to recognize him if it weren't for a part of his heart jumping at the sight of him. His wild bangs were pulled back with only a few loose strands free to frame his face. He sported a jagged scar on his jar, and, like Aerith, looked older. The sight of him brought conflicting emotions. On one hand, he felt he was walking on air just looking at him. At the same time, though, his earlier pain increased tenfold, and he could feel tears prickling his eyes._

_Zack looked sad, too. Maybe even sadder than Aerith did. He said something that he still couldn't make out, and put a hand on his shoulder. He wanted to scream and cry and lash out at the unfairness of it all. He didn't even know what was so unfair, so cruel, but it was and he hated it._

_Zack shared a look with Aerith before pulling him into a hug. She rubbed his back, and he let himself cry._

* * *

Cloud woke up unsure of where he was. His head throbbed painfully with his heartbeat, his arms felt like lead, and the light hurt his eyes. He squeezed them shut, groaning. He felt worse than PT day.

There was a loud bang, and he shot up. . . and fell back down, because that was a very, very, bad idea. Ow.

"Cloud! You're awake?!" Came an obnoxiously loud voice labelled Zack. A pang shot through his heart at his voice, but was gone as soon as it came. "H- hold on, I'll get Angeal!" He near-shouted, having forgotten any lesson he might've learned so far, and raced out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Cloud was left squinting irritably at the door as he left.

He huffed. Well, at least this gave him time to collect himself.

Slowly, conscious of his sore body, he pushed himself up to a sitting position. He looked around. He was back at the Inn? How'd they get back? He frowned, wracking his brain, but came up short. Belatedly, he noted an overturned chair. Zack probably knocked it over.

Yawning, he rubbed the tiredness from his eyes. How long was he out, he wondered, then paused. His face was wet. . . had he been crying? Pain lanced through his head as he remembered his dream. What the hell was that about?

He wasn't given long to ponder, though, as Commander Hewley soon walked in the room. Zack followed, visibly relieved. His gut twisted at having worried him.

"Cadet Strife. I'm glad to see you're awake, you gave us quite the scare." Hewley said kindly. He straightened the chair and pulled it closer to the bed. "Dr. Mitchell here is going to check you over, and then I'd like to ask you some questions if you're feeling up to it. Alright?"

Cloud nodded mutely. He supposed it made sense for a doctor to see him. It was probably for the better, considering what he could remember from the cave (or what he couldn't remember, most likely. Most of it was just a blur.) For some reason, though, watching the doctor settle in the chair close to him made him tense and anxious.

It was a rather routine physical, all things considered. He should know; He ended up in the infirmary pretty often, despite his best efforts. Still, though, the familiarity didn't ease his anxiety. If anything, it made it worse, with him anticipating what he knew would come next. Every touch made his breath catch and set him on edge. The doctor looked at him oddly when he held his breath, but otherwise didn't say anything.

Physical done, the doctor sat back and wrote something down on a clipboard. Cloud sagged with relief, and tried to calm his racing heart. Gaia, what was wrong with him? He hadn't felt this nervous since he first came to Midgar!

"Alright, Mr. Strife. I'm going to ask you a few questions, and I'd like for you to answer as accurately as possible." The doctor said, not looking up from his clipboard. He didn't wait for Cloud to reply, either. "Since you woke up, have you had any aches or pains?"

Oh, absolutely. He still felt sore. "Yes, I have."

"Where?"

"Mostly my back and my head." He was actually hurting pretty much everywhere, but the anxious part of him told him to give as little as possible. His head and back were the worst bothers, anyway.

The doctor glanced at him and wrote a note on his clipboard. He asked, " Have you experienced any sensitivity to light, touch, or noise?"

He guessed it looked a bit brighter than from when he was here the other day, but it could've just been the time. It hurt his eyes when he first woke up, but was fine now. He shook his head.

"Hm." Another scribble, and then, "Are you having issues remembering anything?"

"Uhm.." Cloud started, and gulped. He couldn't skimp on this, not in front of the Commander and Zack. He'll admit to being worried himself, too. The last thing he remembered was trying to blind the dragon, and then. . . He frowned, and nodded. The only thing he remembered after that was a jumble of green and pain.

He said as much to the doctor, who 'I see'd and asked, "Do you recall any sort of hallucinations, or worrisome dreams? I understand it hasn't been a long time since your exposure to mako, but I still need to know."

Exposure to mako? The hell? He thought this check-up was about the avalanche or hours spent in cold or something, not mako poisoning. Though, it. . . really did explain his memory being green.

The doctor was still looking at him, he realized, and so were Zack and Commander Hewley. He was probably taking too long to answer. What was the question, again? Worrisome dreams? His last dream was more confusing than worrisome, but he did wake up crying, so. . . In the end, he shook his head, and opted to just tell Zack or Aerith about it later.

He fidgeted as the doctor stared at him a moment longer. The guy's bedside manner really didn't help his nerves.

The room was silent as the doctor reviewed the notes he'd made, adding a few more here-or-there. In the end, he let out a disbelieving chuckle and shook his head.

"You're. . . perfectly fine, all things considered." He said. He sighed, and shook his head again. "Honestly, it's a miracle. Just a little bedrest and you'll be as good as new."

Cloud sagged, relieved. He was a little shocked, though. He was okay? Really? All that, and he came back no worse for the wear? It was a little hard to believe, and he was tempted to call the doctor a liar. Better not to look a gift chocobo in the beak, though. Especially not with his rotten luck lately.

He glanced around and saw Zack pumping his fist, dumb smile on his face. Zack was probably more relieved than even he was now that he knows he didn't break his friend. The Commander, on the other hand, had a small frown, concern in his eyes. Their eyes met for a second, and it was replaced by a gentle smile. Cloud. . . didn't trust that.

"Well, that's a relief." He said, and Zack nodded enthusiastically. "If it's alright with you, we'll bring you something to eat and let you rest. Okay?"

"And rest means rest, Spike. Doctor's orders! Got it?" Zack chimed in. Cloud flushed; He knows he's awful at doing nothing. He nodded regardless.

The doctor left with them, and he found himself alone again. He had more to think about now, though.

He was ok. . . or maybe he wasn't. The doctor seemed genuinely surprised, but Hewley looked worried. He probably didn't believe it. Hell, Cloud barely believed it. He'd always heard stories about how mako exposure could mess you up, but Cloud was practically soaked in the stuff and walked away with a weird dream and some anxiety.

Speaking of dreams. . .

He sighed. He didn't even know where to start with that. Thinking about that flower field brought a pain to his heart, and he decided to decode it another day. If there even was anything to decode. For all he knew, it was probably just gibberish.

Metal glinted in the corner of his eye. He breathed sharply. His sword!

Somehow, the sight of the blade was comforting. It felt like a weight off his shoulders he didn't even know was there. He was partially curious as to why Zack took it, but like most things, decided to wonder about it another day.

Besides, he was hungry. Better not to worry too much on an empty stomach.

* * *

Aerith hummed along to the buzzing of the Planet as she tended to her flowers. It'd been strangely active lately, but she didn't get the impression it was anything bad. It didn't seem scared or upset or anything, just. . . Excited.

Aerith was happy for it. The Planet's excitement was contagious, and she let herself get swept up in its energy. How could she not? The Planet was normally rather intimidating, but its current mood was friendly and eager.

In fact, it was rather reminiscent of that boy Zack introduced her to, Cloud. She meant it when she said the Planet seemed fond of him, as embarrassed as she is at blurting it out like that. She was rather glad he took it in stride -- She was rather fond of him, too. Zack talked about him plenty; She felt as if she already knew him.

Hopefully, Zack will bring him back soon.

Suddenly, the Planet's voice increased tenfold. Aerith jerked her hands from the dirt and covered her ears, trying in vain to block out the noise. Where it was once a pleasant tune, the frantic sound now grated and overwhelmed her senses. Her stomach turned, and it felt like she could barely breathe.

Something was happening, she knew it. Something important, very, very important was happening, but she could barely hear herself think, let alone make out the billions of voices in the Planet. It still didn't give her the same sense of dread that walking near reactors gave her, so she assumed it wasn't anything awful. The Planet's been excited lately, but, Gaia, was there really something that could make it this excited?!

After what felt like hours, the Planet settled. The pressure slowly left her head, returning to its melodic buzz from before. She took in slow, deep breaths to center herself and settle her stomach. Really, did the Planet have to cause this much of a ruckus? Her head hurt. . .

Aerith blinked, realizing she had squeezed her eyes shut. Then blinked again. She hummed, and put her hand on her chin. With her other hand, she rubbed the stem of a sprout, too young to be one that she planted. All her other flowers were starting to bloom, but this one was barely even an inch tall. How curious. . .

A jolt went up her spine when she touched it, and she smiled. The Planet sure was strange. . . Well, either way, she had better get back to work. She got the feeling she needed to take extra good care of this one.

"Gold. . . a special one, indeed."


	11. Chapter 10 - Book Club

Despite Hojo's best efforts, Sephiroth was an intensely curious man. It didn't take much to capture his interest of something, and he'd go to massive lengths to get to the truth about it. His idea of a relaxing evening to himself involved many encyclopedias and scientific articles. He spent more time in the library than his own apartment. In fact, for his birthday celebration (which is just the first of the new year, as he didn't know his birthday), Angeal and Genesis indulged him in binge-watching documentaries and ShinRa Geographic the whole night.

Needless to say, when Zack texted him '_hey u know abt any swords that possess ppl??? asking fr a friend',_ his curiosity was piqued.

_'Can't say I do. Why?'_

_'Well my friend got thrown into a mako pool that had a weird sword n it an when he picked it up he went kinda beserk :('_

_ '*Berserk.'_

_'In what way?'_

_':('_

_'anyway i mean like. hes just a itty bitty cadet an he just went ham?? i mean there was some sorta dragon there an he took it down himself...'_

_'he was movin as fast as u even like that thing couldnt even TOUCH him seph...and hes a tiny boy okay he doesnt even come up to ur shoulder i bet.hes Small.'_

_'and when he killed it he just kinda stood there all dazed n stuff. kinda like a trance, yanno?'_

_'i tried to treat im carefully bc i didnt know if he recognized me or anythin but then he snapped out of it n he was rly confused???__ '_

_'and then he passed out but i still couldnt get the sword outta his hand. kid had a death grip on it'__ 'i was worry :((('_

As always, he had to take a moment to try and decode the texts. Perhaps one of these days he'd ask Zack to teach him the variant of Common he uses to text. He'd certainly never seen it before he met the boy. Not today, though. Later. He had more important matters to attend to.

'_Is he alright now?'_

_'OH yea hes fine!! angie heard the dragon from where he was and found us p soon after. we gottem to a doctor an he woke up awhile ago. doc said he was perfeclty fine. kinda weird tho dont u think??'_

_'not that im not happy but he WAS thrown in mako...among other things. if anything I was worse off than he was /'_

That was indeed strange, and curious. Even veteran SOLDIERs exhibit side effects from their mako injections, though it does get more tolerable with added exposure. A small, unenhanced trooper should be in one form of agony or another after a dip in a natural mako pool. Zack mentioned him being confused and somewhat incoherent after the immediate exposure, which was normal, but for the boy to have recovered so quickly? And the sword itself. . .

Sephiroth couldn't rule out the chance that the sword was unrelated. At the same time, he couldn't rule out the chance that they were related. A jolt of excitement went down his spine at the thought. If there was one thing he enjoyed more than miscellaneous research, it was research on weapons. Blades, to be specific (though he couldn't deny there were some very interesting firearms.) A sword, found in a natural mako pool, capable of nulling the adverse effects of mako? All while granting the wielder enhancements on the level of a SOLDIER First Class? He could admit it was unlikely, but that doesn't make the sword itself any less interesting.

He twirled a strand of hair on his finger, and hummed to himself. Doubtlessly, he didn't have the full picture here. No, he'd most likely have to wait for Angeal to return. Sephiroth would begrudgingly admit he liked Zack, but he also knew the boy had a very "unique" way of seeing things. There were probably more than a few exaggerations in his story, but his concern for his friend seemed genuine enough. At the very least, if Sephiroth's research into this turned fruitless, it would ease his friend's mind.

Now, who was the cadet on their mission again. . .? He turned his monitor on, searching through his bookmarked files. He remembered Angeal complaining about Zack bringing the poor boy along, and asking him to find and check the boy's transcripts. They should still be somewhere on his computer.

There. He found and clicked on them. _Cloud Strife, age 16, from Nibelheim. Average grades, slightly below-average physical assessments. Has trouble working in a group. Instructors describe him as quick-tempered, with low confidence. Even still, he is noted as being highly motivated and hard-working._ As he read, a small crease appeared in his brow. Strange and curious, indeed. He would need to meet Strife himself when they return. This would require more extensive research.

A thought occurred to him, and he scowled. If this got out, then he wouldn't be the only one looking to research it. He could imagine it: Strife being called to the infirmary upon landing, and never seen again. His name taken out of the system, all but erased from memory, save for a single ShinRa scientist. . .

Unnacceptable. Zack was young, emotional, and easily attached. A loss like that would ruin him, especially considering he was the one to put the boy on the mission. Sephiroth would have to find a way to keep Hojo away from that cadet. He could put his paperwork off long enough to do that; He was planning to take a break soon, anyway.

He shut down his computer, straightened the papers on his desk, and got up. As he locked up his office, he pondered his investment in this. Was it genuine curiosity? Was it his investment in his companion's wellbeing? A mix of the two? Or, perhaps the prospect of preventing the Professor from finding a new specimen had him feeling rebellious?

He shook his head. It was no matter. Self-introspection can wait until after he's spoken to Lazard. He took his PHS out.

_'I see. I'll see to it then.'_

_'Ty so so much seph ur the best ever!!!!!! i will do so much paperwork for u bro this seriosly means a lot :D'_

_'*seriously'_

_'come ON dude. i take it back, do ur own work ur the worst :(('_

* * *

Zack huffed as he put his PHS up, leaning on the wall outside Cloud's room. Sephiroth could be so uptight sometimes. . . That's it! Zack should teach him how to chill out! It's not rude to do something like that if it was true, and it didn't take a genius to see Seph had trouble relaxing. He could kidnap the man for a day or two and show him the secret to a night on the town!

Wait, he was introvert, wasn't he? Zack recalled him saying how much he hated being the center of attention despite his fame. Nightclubs. . . probably wouldn't go so well with him, then. A book club, on the other hand, might be excellent. Seph loved reading! Zack thought so, anyway. His apartment was full of books, but the only thing Zack ever saw him read was an encyclopedia. A book club would help give him variety, then! And half the time would be spent reading instead of talking! Bravo, Zack, it's a perfect idea!

All he had to do now was figure out how to get Sephiroth into a book club without Genesis noticing. . .

He grimaced, and marked the thought for later. He also needed to find other people to join; A club isn't a club with just two people. Yes, Zack was going to join, too. He's not just going to leave Seph all alone, and it was his idea anyway! But, who could he ask to join a club like that with the General without freaking out or making it weird?

As always when he began to think in depth, he started squatting.

Not Angeal, he decided sadly. Genesis would definitely find out, then. Kunsel might be a good fit; He's pretty chill. Cissnei liked reading, Zack thought. Though, Sephiroth might not be comfortable with a Turk around. He could invite Cloud! It's the perfect apology! 'Hey, sorry about almost getting you killed, wanna join a club with your hero?'

Yet another perfect idea from the one and only Zack Fair. Man, he was on a roll today! It was about time for him to start thinking smart!

The reminder of his recent mistakes put a damper on his mood. If he thought he felt bad after the avalanche, then boy was he mistaken. Everything seemingly turned out fine in the end, but it was a very, very close thing. Gaia, he could still see with startling clarity the moment Cloud got hit by the dragon. It seemed to happen in slow-motion, and yet so fast he found himself frozen on the spot. He had told Sephiroth that Cloud seemed to go berserk, but if he was being honest, he also kind of lost it at the time. Even just remembering it had his leather gloves creaking from the strain of how hard he had them clenched.

So, he decidedly pushed the memory out of his mind, and focused on the bright side. He was okay. Angeal and the other SOLDIERs were okay. Cloud was okay. Sephiroth agreed to look into the whole possessed magic sword deal for him. Everything's turned out a-okay, and Zack is absolutely certain he's learned his lesson.

"'Ey, Zack." A gruff voice broke him out of his thoughts. Zack paused in his squats, and shot him a smile that betrayed none of his earlier thoughts.

"Heya Krumm! How's Fisk?" He asked.

Krumm rolled his eyes. "Still whinin' 'bout bein' left by 'imself fer so long." He grumbled.

"So, doing just fine?"

They shared a laugh at their fellow SOLDIER's expense, and Krumm leaned on the wall opposite of him. He eyed the door to Cloud's room for a moment, then turned back to Zack.

"The kid doin' alright?"

Zack blinked, and smiled, this one more genuine. "Yeah, he's good. The doctor said he'll be good as new if he just rests up, which is a relief. He's sleeping right now."

Krumm 'ah'd and nodded. "Good, good. . ." Silence fell upon them, then. Zack returned to his squats, and went back to his mental list of book club invitees. If he could find an excuse to host it below plate, he might be able to rope Aerith into it. . . Hehehe, that'd be nice. . . "How'd ya meet?"

"Huh?" Zack said dumbly, lost in thoughts about seeing Aerith. Krumm snickered, as if he knew what Zack was thinking about, which was stupid, because he has absolutely never gotten distracted by thinking of his girlfriend. Never.

"I said, how'd ya meet the kid, huh?" He asked again. Zack stopped squatting, and put his hand to his chin, thinking back. Krumm waited patiently.

"Hmm. . ." Zack said,"Well, I'm not sure how happy Cloud would be if I told you that story, but he's alseep right now, so. . .Anyway, I met him after he lost a fight. You remember cadet hazing, right?"

Krumm snorted. "Hard to forget. Kids're only gettin' crueler, these days."

"You can say that again," Zack mumbled. He always got a little upset thinking of how unfairly Cloud was treated by his peers. "Yeah, I heard yelling down a hall and found a couple of cadets beating him. I broke it up, sent them to 'Geal and took him to the infirmary. I thought it'd be a good idea to keep an eye on him, so I decided to get to know him. Let me tell you, he was a li'l shit back then, but totally worth it."

He meant it, too. When he first met Cloud, all bloodied up and spiteful, he had just felt a surging need to protect. The look in his eyes when Zack helped him up showed a fire within that Zack couldn't help but be drawn into. He thought it'd be worthwhile to take the boy under his wing, and he was more than right. All-in-all, Zack was very thankful for his little buddy.

Krumm hummed. "Def'nitely shows. He'll make a damn good SOLDIER, tha's fer sure." He nodded as he said this, not a hint of doubt in his voice. Zack's heart swelled with pride and he grinned. He couldn't wait to tell Cloud that. The poor kid had a nasty habit of belittling himself, so Zack himself made a habit of encouraging and complimenting him. If Cloud heard tell of another SOLDIER complimenting his abilities. . .

Footsteps sounded from further inside the Inn. Zack straightened. He'd been waiting outside Cloud's room hoping to catch Angeal after talking with the doctor; Angeal had seemed bothered by the doctor's prognosis, which in turn made Zack worried. Lo and behold, Angeal came around the corner, with his token concer-fused expression. That was a term Zack himself coined, meaning 'concerned confusion.' It was an expression he saw on the faces of nearly everyone who'd spent longer than five minutes with him, though especially on Angeal.

"Hey, Angeal!" Zack called. Angeal stopped, and narrowed his eyes at him.

"Zack, shouldn't you be resting? Strife wasn't the only one to fight a dragon, you know." He chided. Krumm snickered, and Zack flushed. He soreness definitely hadn't let him forget; He's just been so worried about Cloud!

"I know, I know, but speaking about fighting dragons. . ." Angeal looked unimpressed with his subject change, but he ignored it. "How'd your talk go?"

Angeal frowned, and the concer-fused expression was back. That didn't look good. He sighed, head shaking lightly. "Not now, Zack. I'll tell you when we get back to Midgar."

"What! But --"

"No, Zack." He insisted. Zack slumped, seriously disappointed. "I. . .need some time to digest what he said. I promise I'll tell you, I just need to to wait."

Zack pouted, putting on his best puppy dog eyes. He scorned the nickname, but it did come in handy sometimes. Unfortunately, Angeal was unmoved. He sighed miserably. This really didn't help his worry. . .

A hand ruffled his hair, and he blinked up at Angeal. He had a sympathetic expression. "Chin up, pup. You and Strife completed the mission when you killed the dragon, so if he's well enough for it, we'll be leaving the day after tomorrow. You can hold up until then."

Sighing, he said, "Fine. I'll wait." It was a good thing, he supposed. They'd be back in Midgar soon enough, but he hated waiting. What was he supposed to do until they left?! "But what am I suppose to do until we leave?"

Angeal raised an eyebrow, and Zack realized his mistake as soon as the question left his mouth. "Well, if you're that bored, you could always --"

"Actually, 'Geal, on second thought, I'm actually really, really sore and tired from the, uh, everything, and so I'm just gonna go to my room and rest, okay? Bye!" He rambled off, panicked, and quickly escaped towards his room. Behind him, he heard Angeal and Krumm laughing. They could laugh all they want, but Zack knew what happens when he complains about being bored to Angeal.

He shuddered. Not even Sephiroth, who Angeal put in charge of his training that one time he was on a solo mission, made him do that many katas. His arms hurt just thinking about it.

Locking himself in his room to avoid training still sounded boring, though. . . Maybe he could fine-tune his book club idea.


End file.
